Order of Show
PreShow Music – Zach Manuel
Opening Monologue – Laura Crago & Matt Leslie
Easy Bake Meth Lab (by Joe Szalinski)
Tell Tale Clock (by Joe Szalinski)
Indiana Jones Pawns Relics (by Joe Szalinski)
Work It (by Deanna Sparrow)
Weird Sports Dad (by Deanna Sparrow)
Pazuzu Past Life (by Eddie Trizzino)
The Boy Who Would Be King (by Jack Senske)
Taxi Taxidermy (by Jack Senske)
Roman Soldier (by Joe Szalinski)
Thrift-ervention (by Deanna Sparrow)
Band – The Rumble / Repo Man
Hey Kid (by Joe Szalinski)
Plague (by Joe Szalinski)
VAMP – WHIMSY (Laura Crago & Matt Leslie)
Holy Liquidation (by Molly Miller)
Shakespeare (by Joe Szalinski)
VAMP (Laura Crago & Matt Leslie)
Telemarketer (by Casey Hoolahan)
Great Chicago Fire (by Joe Szalinski)
High Tech Delectability (by Joe Szalinski)
Challenger (by Joe Szalinski)
Beatles Fan (by Joe Szalinski)
Red Flag Dating Show (by Joe Szalinski)
Band – The Rumble / Repo Man
Sketch Comedy Cast and Crew Bios
Molly Miller (Write, Actor) has been funny since birth, but it was only proven when she began to speak full sentences. She started performing in 2008 at the Butler Little Theatre and has practiced improv since 2018. She is currently a member of hobnob theatre co’s improv troupe and serves on BLT’s board. Molly would like to thank Sam, who enjoys her humor so much he steals every joke she makes and says it louder so he ultimately gets the credit.
Sam Thinnes (Actor) has done a lot of projects in the Butler area, most recently doing The Two Gentleman of Verona, PA (Proteus) and Rope (Brandon) for hobnob theatre co, Hayfever (Simon) and The Holiday Channel Christmas Movie Wonderthon (Narrator 2) for the Butler Little Theatre. Sam is very excited for everyone to see the sketches and, as always, just happy to be involved.
Sloane McCensky (Actor) A victim of late-stage Happy Meal Psychosis, Sloane gets her Daily Giggles from blueberries and pictures of rabbits. And slow-boil oats. Really anything that can go through a tube. Sloane was sculpted from sewage treatment plant byproduct by palumbo-gutted Pittsburgh river nymphs. She is also an actor, comedian, cartoonist, and software developer. Sloane performs in Pittsburgh-area theatre, writes stand-up comedy, and creates original comics on the side.
Conleth McVeigh (Actor) A classically trained idiot, Conleth spent years perfecting the art of silliness in the vast hills of Northern Ireland, where he was born and raised for his entire childhood, and most of someone else’s adulthood. He has performed in over 500 comedy shows, including creating and directing his own whodunnit, performing improvised musical versions of classic films, and is the creator of Ireland’s #1 sketch comedy podcast, Back to Dunbracken (Instagram: @dunbrackenpod). Conleth’s favorite thing in the world is to be silly on stage, and he’s delighted to be surrounded by a wonderful cohort of silly billies for this fantastic show.
Grant Clark (Actor) has spent plenty of time on stage, but has only been in the comedy space for a little over a year. As a regular player in hobnob theatre co’s improv troupe, he loves being able to play off of others, to raise the stakes, and really sell a joke. The teamwork and cohesion elevates the comedy in a way that no one person could do on their own, and that’s his favorite part of the process.
Daniel Williams (Actor) has been performing theater in Butler since 2014, and the last remains of his sanity have somehow convinced him doing Sketch Comedy was a good idea. That, or the fact it’s at a brewery. Probably the latter. He has played roles at hobnob theatre co., that range from silly (Jack in The Importance of Being Earnest), to spooky (Death in Edgar Allan Poe’s Tales of the Grotesque). It’s quite a range of characters there in itself. Daniel is a professor by day, making him responsible for the corruption of America’s youth.
Bradley White (Actor) This is Bradley’s first show with hobnob theatre co, as well as his first foray into community theater in general. He’d like to thank the directors and cast for making it such a wonderful first show.
Billie Shumway {They} (Actor) Billie is extremely excited to be a part of the Anything Goes Sketch Comedy show! They have been seen in Brigadoon as Meg Brockie and The Drowsy Chaperone as The Chaperone, they acted as the dramaturg for SRU’s production of Measure for Measure, and they worked on the costume crew for SRU’s productions of Luna Gale, Blithe Spirit, and Dogfight. They have grand dreams of being cast as the next iconic horror movie monster, like Freddy Kruger or Jason Vorhees, but for now, they are perfectly content to work on writing their countless short horror stories. When they aren’t writing, they can be found crocheting, playing Dungeons & Dragons or Magic the Gathering, or cooking with their enchanting spouse, Benji. Billie loves being out in nature, taking pictures of interesting plants and mushrooms, camping, and saying “hi” to the local fauna. Billie hopes that you enjoy the show, and asks that you plant some flowers for the bees and the butterflies.
Benji Shumway {He/She} (Actor) Benji is honored to be a part of this amazing, hilarious project, and is excited to have the opportunity to be back on stage. After graduating from SRU with a BA in Theatre, experience as a sound board tech for the world premire of Techies, and roles such as Just Joey in Concord Floral, and Wickham in Pride and Prejudice under their belt, they have put their focus into writing and world building, both as passion projects and for Dungeons & Dragons. They are a painter, a musician, and always looking to learn something new. Benji loves spending time in the great outdoors, hiking, canoeing, swimming, and camping with their beloved spouse, Billie. If one were to describe Benji in one word, that word would be, “Benji!”
Rhonny Dam (Actor) This is Rhonny’s first time with the hobnobians and she is thrilled to be here! Rhonny has been seen most frequently at the New Castle Playhouse in such productions as Rocky Horror Show (Narrator), Moon Over Buffalo (Charlotte Hay), and Barefoot in the Park (Mother). She had a blast in Love/Sick at the Youngstown Playhouse and appeared as Olympe de Gouges in The Revolutionists at R-Act Theatre in Rochester PA. She looks forward to anything going in Butler!
Laura Crago (Creator, Director, Host) Laura is an award-winning podcast producer and host, actor, and lifelong performer who grew up in Butler, beginning her journey on the stages of Butler Little Theatre and Musical Theatre Guild as a child. She went on to build a career in theater, dance, and fitness across the country, performing and creating in cities including New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and Las Vegas. Sketch comedy has always been a passion of Laura’s, from performing it in high school to studying and performing improv in New York and here with the HobNob Improv troupe. Creating this show has been a lifetime dream. Her goal is to bring talented, funny, creative people together and create something that feels uniquely ours and celebrates the incredible talent in our community. Laura is incredibly grateful to her sidekick, Matt, head writer Joe, the entire writing team, and everyone who has lent their time, talent, and energy to bringing this project to life. A special thank-you goes to Katie Moore for stepping up and helping make this dream a reality. To Ken & Liz, the co-founders of HobNob, for adding the finishing touches to the Butler Theatre community, you have brought balance to the theatre community.
Matt Leslie (Co-Creator, Director, Host) Matt is a Butler native and a graduate of Seton Hill University with a BA in Theatre Performance. No stranger to the stage and local audiences, Matt has been active in the Butler theatre community over the last 21 years. Matt is excited for this new adventure into the world of sketch comedy and thrilled to see this project come to life over the course of the last 12 months! It’s a blessing to be part of such a talented production of old and new friends! When not at the theatre or working at the Aldi Distribution Center, Matt enjoys being a part of the Worship Team at Orchard Hill Church Butler and smothering his cat Phoebe with love and affection.
Joe Szalinski (Head Writer, Director, Actor) Joseph is a writer and performer from West View, PA, where he can be found gambling in the woods with the local wildlife. His writing has appeared in anthologies, literary magazines, and on the doorsteps of the unfortunate. Aside from sketch comedy, Joe also enjoys improv, stand-up, and spoken-word poetry. He’s indulged in other annoying pursuits, but we don’t have to talk about those. A 2x graduate of SRU, Joe is excited to bring his brand of weirdness back to his old stomping grounds. He’d like to thank his wife, Brenna, and dog, Maeve, for their love and support. Many thanks go to Matt and Laura for putting this together, and all of the talented folks involved for making this possible.
Katie Moore (Costumes, Props, Crew Director) Katie is returning to hobnob backstage. This presented a challenge to coordinate props, costumes, and running crew for such a grand undertaking. It has been wonderful to work with so many new (to hobnob) performers.
Shannon Green (Stage Manager) Shannon has stage managed for the hobnob’s productions, The Nutcracker: A Holiday Reboot, ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas – A Musical Noir!, Mr. Bob Cratchit’s Merry Christmas Carol, The Tempest.
Eddie Trizzino (Writer) is elated to be a writer for hobnob’s sketch show. When not writing comedic sketches, he can be found writing serious news articles at his full-time job as community editor for the Butler Eagle, or writing humorous songs for his wannabe full-time job as a bass player. He was last seen playing bass for Hobnob’s The Nutcracker: New Game — A Holiday Reboot. Special thanks to his writing partner and romantic partner, Casey Hoolahan.
Casey Hoolahan– (Writer)Casey wants to thank you personally for supporting local theater and artists! You may have seen her previously in shows at hobnob theatre, including most recently playing Silvia in Two Gentlemen of Verona PA. Special thanks to Potato and her almost-husband Eddie.
Deanna Sparrow (Writer) Deanna Sparrow is an actor, playwright & theatre educator from Slippery Rock. Selected writing credits include: Kindgergrad (Pittsburgh New Works Festival – top 3 finalist for best playwright), R.I.P. (hobnob theatre co., 24 Hour Play Project) and book & lyrics for both Mr. Bob Cratchit’s Merry Christmas Carol Sing-Along & Variety Show! and ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas: A Musical Noir (hobnob theatre co; written in collaboration with composer & lyricist, Ken Smith). https://deannasparrow.weebly.com/
Jack Senske (Writer) Jack has worked with hobnob previously playing Bottom and Demetrius in the 2024 A Midsummer Night’s Dream; The Porter and Ross in The Tragedy of Macbeth. Jack also wrote for hobnob’s first 24-Hour play Project (hobnob theatre). Thank you so much to Olivia and our cat Wirt for their endless support. I couldn’t do this without them.
Musical Guests
2024 Grass Roots on The Rock Station 97.7 AWARD WINNER FOR SONG OF THE YEAR!!!! “The King of Everything “
Old School Punk and Alt Rock Tribute spanning the gamut of Sex Pistols, Ramones, Dead Kennedy’s, Screeching Weasel, Green Day, Operation Ivy, Fugazi, & MORE!
Opening Sets Friday and Saturday